Congress Debates Potential $5,000 Stimulus Checks from Government Savings

WASHINGTON, March 13 – Congress is currently grappling with the prospect of issuing $5,000 stimulus checks to American taxpayers, potentially funded by savings from the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This discussion surfaced recently following comments by James Fishback, CEO of the investment firm Azoria, who proposed a ‘DOGE dividend’ concept during a conference in Miami Beach last month.

According to Fishback, the DOGE dividend would allocate 20 percent of the agency’s claimed savings—estimated to reach $2 trillion—back to American citizens. ‘American taxpayers deserve a DOGE Dividend: 20% of the money that DOGE saves should be sent back to hard-working Americans as a tax refund check,’ Fishback stated. He emphasized that the checks would be akin to tax refunds and suggested that if DOGE hits its savings goal, each taxpayer household could receive around $5,000.

However, the proposal has already met skepticism from several lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. During an audience event, Johnson remarked, ‘Politically, that would be great for us, you know, because everybody gets a check. But if you think about our core principles, right, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives.’

Johnson, alongside other Republican representatives like Celeste Maloy and Riley Moore, expressed concerns that such stimulus checks might exacerbate inflation—an issue they feel needs addressing amid ongoing economic challenges. ‘My fear is that when we send stimulus checks, it causes inflation, which we’re trying to get down right now,’ Maloy stated, reflecting the sentiments of many cautious lawmakers.

Despite the hesitations from some legislators, public interest appears to lean favorably toward the concept of a DOGE dividend. A recent survey conducted by J.L. Partners collected responses from 1,001 registered voters, revealing that 46% of participants strongly supported the $5,000 check proposal, while an additional 21% expressed moderate support. Surprisingly, Republican voters showed the highest level of favorability at 60%.

The current political climate complicates the proposal, as the process for implementing such a stimulus would require Congressional approval. Any prospective checks would be viewed through the lens of the federal government’s current $36 trillion debt and a substantial budget deficit. ‘If there are a lot of savings, it might make a lot of sense to bring some of that money back to the taxpayers of the country. But we’ve got to put a lot of that towards the debt,’ Moore remarked.

As this discussion evolves, the future of the proposed checks remains uncertain. DOGE has purportedly realized around $105 billion in savings so far, achieved by cutting federal jobs and canceling contracts. Nevertheless, with additional savings still required to meet the ambitious target set by the agency, it remains to be seen whether the DOGE dividend will materialize

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